Crush on Teacher
by Giselle Malley
Summary: AU. Senior year student Arnold has a massive crush on his Literature teacher, whom he has known ever since he was a child. However, in her eyes, their relationship is unethical. What will Helga do about this?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! All the show characters belong to Craig Bartlett and Nick. Me? I just like to play with the characters! XD**

 **So…enjoy and review!**

 **CRUSH ON TEACHER**

The alarm woke up Helga. It was 6:00 am already. Classes started in an hour and a half. She got up, stretched her arms, rose to her feet and walked out of her room. She turned the coffee maker on, and started making breakfast. After eating, she took a shower and dressed for school. She picked a plain white top tucked into a high-waisted pink pleaded skirt, and pink ballerina flats. She applied some eyeliner, blush and pink lipstick; let her long golden curls flow, checked herself on the mirror and decided she was ready to go. She pulled out of the fridge the lunch she had prepared the night before, as well as some snacks, for she had club activities that day. She grabbed her bag of books, her set of keys, and left home on time. Helga loved living on her own.

"Bye, Ronnie!" she said to the doorman as he opened the door for her.

"Wait, Ms. Pataki! I have something for you!" Ronnie, the doorman said and he handed her a long-stemmed pink rose.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Ronnie! I've already told you! Do not accept things that come for me without a package!" an upset Helga said. "That flower, you can keep it. I don't want it." She turned around and walked through the door.

…

Arnold and Gerald were walking to their first period class, Literature. Gerald kept on babbling about Phoebe. They had started dating a few weeks ago, and Gerald was thrilled. He had had a long crush on her, but he had raised the courage to talk to her at the beginning of the semester, their last _senior_ semester.

The two teens got to their class ten minutes before the period started. The room was almost full by then.

"Aw, man!" Arnold said as he shot a glare to Gerald "there are no more front empty front seats! We'll have to sit in the back!"

"Sorry, buddy!" Gerald said. He had picked up Arnold five minutes after the accustomed hour that morning.

They walked to the back of the class and took two desks. Arnold looked at the time, "Helga should be here already. She's usually here at…"

Arnold was interrupted by Helga's figure entering the classroom. They locked their eyes for the fraction of a second, in which his heart skipped a beat. He kept on looking at her as she dropped her bag on the desk.

"Oh, look! You guys take "apples for the teacher" seriously!" On her desk, the teacher's desk, were 10 apples piled. "Thank you!" she said with a smile and a wink. She took a bit from one of the apples as one of her students, Brainy, approached her to ask her something about the assignment for next week.

Arnold's legs felt like butter and he sat down.

"So, Helga, huh?" Gerald said raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. That's her name!" a blushed Arnold answered.

"For most of us, she's just Ms. Pataki, the Literature teacher!" Gerald said.

"Our HOT teacher" Sid, who was sitting in front of Gerald, emphasized.

Rhonda, who was sitting in front of Arnold, turned around "Oh, puh-lease" she rolled her eyes "she's no that hot".

The bell rang. Brainy was dismissed to his seat.

"Ok, class. It's time to start the lesson."

…

The students worked in a Socratic seminar to discuss the book they had read the week before. Helga listened to the questions and answers of her students, and she felt observed. She lifted her eyes, but none of the students was looking at her.

Arnold had been looking at her. He had a major crush on his teacher.

Arnold recalled the first time he saw her. He was lost; wandering through P.S. 118, trying to find his class after his grandpa had gone to the restroom when a big boy lifted him from the shirt collar.

"Oh, well! Look what we have here!" he talked to another big guy.

Arnold was on the verge of tears when she interrupted them.

"Hey you, fourth grade buckos! Leave my cousin alone!" she said while raising her fist.

"Your…c-c-cousin?" the guy who was holding him asked in surprise.

"Yeah, moron! .DOWN. Right now!" she gave a step forward, wearing a scowl and lifting her first menacingly.

"So-sorry, little guy!" Arnold was put down and saw the bullies vanish in the hall full speed.

Arnold turned around to face the scowling girl, but she wasn't angry anymore. Instead, she looked kind.

"You ok, little guy?" she asked him. "I bet you're lost. Do you want me to take you to your class?"

Arnold nodded. She offered her hand and he took it timidly.

"Don't be scared, those buckos won't mess with you anymore! You know, I got lost on my first day of elementary too! My father dropped me and left. I had to find my classroom on my own too. Anyways, how did you get lost?" she asked him as they walked hand in hand.

Arnold stopped feeling uneasy. "My grandpa was in the restroom and I decided to find the classroom on my own!"

"Wow! That's brave! And you're in…second grade?" she tried to guess.

"No! I'm in first grade!" Arnold corrected her.

"You're so brave that I thought you were older!"

They walked through the big halls of the school for a few minutes.

"Ok. So, you see that door at the end of the hall?" she pointed a classroom.

"Uh-huh"

"Well, that's your class. I have to go to mine, so I'll leave you here. Is that ok for you…buddy?"

"Arnold, my name's Arnold Shortman." He beamed with a smile and extended his hand to her.

She chuckled and shook his hand. "I'm Helga G. Pataki. Don't forget my name, ok? If you're ever in trouble with big morons again, tell them you're my cousin and they will leave you alone."

"Ok." Arnold said as Helga turned around. He then caught a glimpse of the pink bow she was wearing. "Helga, wait!"

Helga turned around.

In an effort to do something nice in return to what she had done for him that day, Arnold told her "I like your bow because it's pink like your pants" he then waved and bolted to his classroom.

…

Gerald elbowed Arnold pulling him out of his trance.

"Arnold, class is over. Let's go!" Gerald told him.

"Oh, right." Arnold picked up his books and stuffed them in his backpack.

Ms. Pataki put a hand on his desk.

"Mr. Shortman, I need to talk to you after classes. I'll be waiting for you at 2:45 pm. Ok?"

"Ok, ma'am! I'll be looking forwaaaa-I mean, I'll come and look for you!"

Helga crossed her arms, "now, hurry".

Both guys left the classroom as fast as they could.

…

 **Hope you like it! This fic has been in my mind for months now! Even before Sober. It hasn't let me continue writing! Every time I started writing this idea sat there, blocking other thoughts and saying, "if you don't write me, I won't let you write anything else". So, here it was.**

 **If you like it, review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! All the show characters belong to Craig Bartlett and Nick. Me? I'm just having fun here! XD**

 **So…enjoy and review!**

 **CRUSH ON TEACHER**

 **CHAPTER II**

Helga took out her lunch. She had prepared a fine pastrami and olive sandwich. The first bite let her know how perfectly the flavors of the smoked Gouda cheese as well as her old time favorite pastrami had blended. The grinded green olives dressing she had made, gave it a plus. Her sandwich was simply exquisite, pleasing her ego and making her smile with each bite. It had been a rough road the one she had walked since the first peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich she had prepared for herself in third grade, until today. She was a sandwich genius and the first person whom had ever praised her culinary skills had been Arnold.

…

"Hey, Pataki!" a boy with a loud voice called her. Two fourth grade bullies were walking towards her. "Your cousin wanted to see you!" their faces let know that they felt proud of what they were doing.

"My _cousin_?" Helga asked quizzically.

Arnold peeked from behind one of them, and Helga caught a glimpse of him.

"My _cousin_! Arnold! Come here!" she said as she offered him her hand, which he happily took without hesitation.

"Next time bring him faster." Helga snapped her fingers and dismissed the boys with the hand which she was holding her lunch bag with.

"Hello, Helga!" Arnold said sweetly as they walked hand in hand to a nearby bench.

"Well, hi, Arnold. You having problems with bullies again?" Helga asked as she lightly patted the space next to her on the bench indicating Arnold to sit next to her, which he did while giving Helga another sweet smile.

"Not really! I just wanted to have lunch with you." He said as he swung his dangling feet.

"You do?" amazement was stamped on her face. From all the answers that he could have possibly given her, that one was unexpected to her. People didn't usually want to have lunch with her. Helga G. Pataki had the reputation of being smart and cruel, thus most kids avoided her, nevertheless having lunch in her company! And yet there he was, the little football-headed boy, offering honest sympathy, company and friendship, which she wasn't used to receive. Helga wavered for a second; however, as the offering came from a little boy, she feared no danger and accepted the gift of his affection.

Helga side smiled, "we sure can, Arnold. But don't consider yourself lucky because as I do my own lunch," she pulled the content of her lunch bag out, "I just prepared a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and an apple. I can give you half of everything if you want."

"You prepared your own lunch?" Arnold asked in awe.

Helga blushed out of embarrassment, not knowing Arnold's intention and fearing mock "Yeah! I do! No one quite cares about me back home" she said bitterly and added, "so _I_ take care of _me_ on my own."

"You're so cool, Helga! I want to be like you when I grow up!"

Helga smirked, that kid seemed to find positive things in everything. She was about to answer, when he spoke again.

"Helga, how old are you?"

His question caused her to laugh. "You ask the most random questions, you know that? I'm nine, but I'm in sixth grade."

"Whoaaa! Helga you _are_ the coolest!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. How about you?"

"I'm six now, but I'll turn seven on October 7th" he said proudly.

"Cool! So… want half of my sandwich?"

"Yeah! And you can have half of mine!"

Both kids were eating when he spoke again.

"Helga?"

"Yeah?"

"The sandwich is delicious! Can you make one for me another day?"

Helga felt an honest praise coming from Arnold and she agreed to prepare one for him the coming Friday. After that, they had lunch together every Friday during that year.

…

Ms. Pataki finished eating her lunch, sitting alone in the teacher's lounge, remembering the innocent moments they had shared when both were young.

 **...**

Arnold's gaze was fixed on the classroom's wall clock. In two more minutes it would be 2:45 pm and he would be free to rush through the halls and find her. Helga had asked him to meet her; he didn't care if it was just for school matters. _She_ had asked _him_ to _meet_ ; the circumstances didn't matter to him. Helga, the idea of a converging with her in a fixed time filled his existence, making him oblivious of the world around him. He wanted her to talk to him, to hear her calling him by his name, to look at him, even if it was just for something as trivial as a book presentation.

The bell rang.

Arnold vanished from his class, making his way as fast as his feet could take him to Ms. Pataki's, no, Helga's class.

He distinguished her silhouette from the glass door. He turned the door handle, and there she was, waiting for him with her sparkling blue eyes and a smile. She was waiting for him. She and other five people who were in the room, much to Arnold's dismay.

"Hello, Arnold! Join us. There is something really important that I would like to share with all of you."

Arnold entered the classroom closing the door behind him.

…

 **Hope you liked this chapter! If you did, review, revIEW, REVIEW! Please! xD**

 **I spent a good half an hour deciding both characters' ages! I wanted Helga to be older than Arnold, but not much older. As, how can she be his high school teacher with such a short year gap? Well, you will have to continue reading to figure out.**

 **Another thing is that, if Arnold's birthday is in October, he'd probably start the school year being 9 years, but in all the events after that month, he's most likely 10. Right? Anybody with me? But…if it's not…for this fanfic's purpose, it is that way.**

 **Thank you for reading, favoring, following and reviewing. :tears of joy:**


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